


Sideline Stories: Christmas Magic (Kimberly)

by UnicornAffair



Series: Wild Pitch [5]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Christmas, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 13:10:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17162552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: Kimberly hated that she would be leaving Trini for their first Christmas as a "not" couple. Despite being all the way across the country, Kimberly wasn't going to deter that from trying to make the best of the situation and make the holidays special for the most important person in her life.





	Sideline Stories: Christmas Magic (Kimberly)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is fic 12 of 12 days of Christmas! I'm happy to say that this last one is a Trimberly one and the other side of Chapter 10 of Wild Pitch, a chapter that I've held near and dear to my heart for Trini's journey.
> 
> <3 <3 <3 Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to everyone! I'll be back to writing the main story of Wild Pitch come January!

Kimberly pushed Trini’s buttons too far when she asked her  _ not _ girlfriend for wanting to come out to some of their friends. In the back of her mind she knew that Trini wasn’t ready, that it was still a bit of a sore subject for her. Honestly, Kimberly couldn’t blame the other girl to be afraid of the outside world, her own mother freaked out of her and her last girlfriend. Rebecca and the  _ photo _ thing didn’t help matters...but for Kim it was hard to pretend that Trini was  _ only _ just a friend. Not when Trini coming back into her life single handedly changed her for the better…It wasn’t even like she wanted to be out at  _ school  _ or anything like that. She only wanted to tell the people closest to them...Jason, Billy, Zack the old sandlot gang…not Tommy though. Kimberly wasn’t ready to face her ex with a new  _ girlfriend.  _ Sorry,  _ not _ girlfriend. She wasn’t sure how his ego would react to that. Tommy had only started warming back up to the childhood friend group...so much time had separated them...

Maybe it was for the best that she  _ didn’t _ tell anyone, that Trini was right. After all, sharing a secret could ruin lives.

“I need to get her something good” Kimberly told her best friend Amanda as they entered the mall. Every year she and her closest friends from the cheerleading squad would take their parents credit card, or allowance and get their Christmas gifts together. For one it made it easier as they could bounce ideas off of one another, and two they just had  _ fun _ being at the mall. Living like teenagers without a care in the world. Every year, Kimberly would always spot Amanda extra cash when Megan and Rebecca weren’t watching. As far as finances went, Amanda wasn’t as rich as the other girls...but Kimberly didn’t want her to feel out of place or she didn’t belong. 

To think, Amanda was the  _ only _ one to stay at her side when everything went down. The  _ only _ person she had left of her past as a cheerleader. 

“Who?” Amanda asked, she had a very small list of people to buy for. Her mother, her father, her boyfriend...and her best friend Kimberly. The rule was Amanda and Kimberly got their gifts on a different day so they would be surprised. “Your mom? Just get her scented candles, I hear bed bath and beyond has a wooden wick candle that makes crackling sounds. That’s cool”

“No, not my mom...Trini” Amanda’s brow rose, “After what happened with Rebecca...she’s had a hard year, I want to do something nice for her” Kimberly explained.

“...Right…”

Trini was a bit of a weird subject around Amanda. It was true, ever since Trini had come back to Angel Grove, Kimberly would be spending less and less time with her best friend Amanda. It wasn’t because she didn’t like Amanda any less, but Kimberly couldn’t have a secret romantic relationship if the other girl was constantly around. Besides. Amanda and Zack were now becoming  _ extremely _ close. 

“Are we okay?” Kimberly reached forward and took Amanda’s arm. It was clear that their relationship wasn’t quite the same ever since Kimberly sent that stupid photo out...ever since Kimberly ruined Megan’s life. Being here at the mall, missing half of their group felt so off...by now they would be in line for a coffee, laughing about the latest hot gossip. 

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Amanda asked, tucking a blonde lock of hair behind her ear. The taller girl tilted her head to the side, Kimberly was the one that cleared her name when Rebecca threw her under the bus, Kim was the one that came to their cheer competition and said such kind words about Amanda’s rise to captain. 

“Y’know…” Megan.

For good measure, Amanda hooked her arm with Kimberly’s, a gesture to reassure the former cheerleader that she would be right there by her side. “Kim, we were both the worst” She shook her head, “We’re going to be okay. Let’s take this next year with a clean slate okay?”

Kimberly nodded her head, despite being so close with Amanda...she couldn’t tell her the real secret about herself and Trini. “Okay”

“So” With one arm still locked with Kimberly’s, Amanda pulled up her cellphone to reveal their list. “We need to get something for your parents, my parents, Zack and Trini…” A smile tugged at her lips, “Ah the wonders of not having siblings. So shall we start with coffee and brainstorm?”

Just like old times. 

Kimberly and Amanda threw ideas back and forth with one another. Kimberly’s father was the easier Hart to buy for. He’d be happy with a dvd box set of his favorite show, something for the grill or anything with a damn pun involved. She loved her dad, but god, he was  _ such _ a dork. As for her mom...well...that was always hard. Kimberly and her mother were never on the same wavelength with much of anything. Madison didn’t really  _ know _ what was going on in Kimberly’s life, that woman was married more to her job than to Ted...Kimberly barely saw her to know what she liked. Maybe the wood wicked candle wasn’t such a bad idea...candles and tea. 

As for Amanda, buying something for the Clark’s proved equally as challenging when it came to the matriarch of the family. Amanda didn’t seem very  _ keen _ on buying something for her mother, Kimberly didn’t want to press and ask why...not when they were just starting to get close again. She wanted Amanda to feel comfortable in trusting Kimberly with her secrets. Still, it wasn’t  _ too _ out of the ordinary for the women of the Clark family to argue...Kimberly knew Lisa Clark wasn’t too keen at the idea of Amanda bringing the likes of Zack Taylor home. The boy with no future. As far as her father went, Amanda already knew what she would be getting him.  _ Socks.  _ Nice  _ warm _ socks that he could wear while he was out to sea. Which only left…

“So what does Trini  _ like?”  _ Amanda mused out loud, the head cheerleader didn’t really  _ know _ much about the new girl outside of the bits and pieces she would get out of Zack. 

“What does _ Zack _ like?” Kimberly countered, Amanda had no idea they were both trying to purchase for their significant others. 

“Mm” The blonde clicked her tongue as they passed a very specific pink store, she wondered if Kimberly had timed it on purpose. “I am  _ not _ going to try buying something  _ sexy _ for Christmas.” A pause, “Maybe for his birthday”

Kimberly chuckled lowly to herself, some new lingere to surprise Trini with  _ could _ be a good gift...though Amanda was right, it made for a better  _ birthday _ gift to unwrap. ...Kimberly and Trini weren’t exactly at Zack and Amanda’s level of intimacy just yet.

“See, Zack isn’t a material guy. I can’t buy him a new  _ video game,  _ or whatever boys are into He doesn’t have a system...or a decent tv...he’s busting his balls to put food on the table. I want to get him something  _ practical _ y’know? It amazes me he still has a working phone” Amanda thought out loud, “He buys packs of white t-shirts from Wal-Mart because they’re the cheapest he could find”

“Mm” Kimberly thought on that, material items were nice and all...but at the end of the day, what  _ did _ she know about Trini’s interests? She had awful taste in music, a grunge taste in fashion, and came off like a faux badass. When they weren’t at the Dragon’s Nest getting practice in the two girls were too busy stealing kisses to sit down and talk about the small stuff. Trini spent the last of her own money on cleats...Mrs. Gomez continued to harp and harp on her daughter to buy new shoes. Kimberly had to agree, her yellow converse had seen better days. “I think I’m going to get Trini shoes”

“I dunno know, maybe a fashionable jacket for Zack?” Amanda and Kimberly were both thinking of their  _ person,  _ that they weren’t  _ actually _ listening to what the other one had to say. “What do you think of that?”

“Of what?”

“Getting Zack a jacket...it’s starting to get cold at night” Amanda’s eyes fixated on a leather jacket inside one of the stores, “Come on look with me” She pulled her best friend inside the store, frowning as she picked off a coat and held it up to herself. “What size should I get?”

Kimberly shrugged, “How would I know what his size is? Shouldn’t  _ you _ know?”

“Oh gee, when we make out and he takes his shirt off I totally make him wait so I can reach down and check the tag” Amanda rolled her eyes, “Do you know Trini’s shoe size?”

“Uh” She could take a good estimated guess, “Sure” Kimberly sighed, a pair of converse wouldn’t be as expensive as the jackets Amanda had her eye on. “Maybe we should try finding someone  _ similar _ to Zack’s body type to try some sizes on?”

“Will someone actually do that for us?”

Kimberly motioned down her body, “Hello, look at us, we can flirt our way into anything”

Amanda laughed, “Or  _ out _ of anything” It was true, Kimberly was able to talk herself out of a speeding ticket once. She knew just what buttons to press. Being a cheerleader...ah, ex-cheerleader had it’s perks. “Okay, let's go find some men”

The two girls exited the store in favor of doing some scanning and searching of the mall crowd. Danny Delgado was with his best friend Max Cooper, one football player too big and bulky the other too thin to pull off Zack size. Besides, with their history with the infamous Summer Fling party, it was best  _ not _ to try to ask them of a favor. It went without question that two Angel Grove cheerleaders wouldn’t approach  _ any _ jock sporting a red and white Briarwood letterman jacket. The two spotted a boy in their grade, Terry Watanabe. The wannabe rock star was far too thin and small to fit into a Zack mold but his cousin Cameron...a baseball player could do. 

“Hey can we borrow you for a couple of seconds?” Kimberly approached the two boys, “It’d really be a help”

Terry’s grin went wide, pretty girls must not talk to him much, hence why he wanted to be in a rock band. “Sure, ladies, anything you need?”

Amanda pointed from Terry to the older boy standing next to him, “We need  _ him, _ actually. I’m trying to buy my boyfriend a jacket, but I don’t want to ask him what size he is so...if you could try something on for us? That’d be  _ so _ awesome” Cam had the broad shoulders, and underneath the loose fitting green zip up hoodie the girls were sure he had a well conditioned bod. 

“Sure” He handed Terry the bag that he had been carrying, the other wasn’t expecting the weight of it, “Jeez, what did you  _ buy?”  _

The baseball player rubbed the back of his neck, lightly chuckling, “I bought Tori a standing mixer, she really loves to bake so…”

The two girls exchanged a glance, “Aww, is that your girlfriend?” Amanda asked, she wasn’t totally interested in the answer. She simply wanted to humor the boy who was going out of his way to help her out. 

“Ha! He wishes” Terry laughed, following the trio into the store, “Nah, her boyfriend is just a douchehole”

“He’s…not a douchehole...I just want her to have  _ something _ she’ll like” Cameron sighed, really, this wasn’t the place to discuss someone else’s relationship. “So what’re we looking at?”

Amanda pulled a jacket from the rack, holding it out for the boy to take from her. “These, thank you  _ so _ much by the way”

Kimberly could see that Amanda had control of this situation, she wasn’t going to need her best friends help when it came to buying shoes. “I’m going to go across the way, meet in the food court?”

With a nod of acknowledgement from the blonde, Kimberly headed on her way to pick up some converse shoes. She knew Trini would wear these out and about, they were what she sported  _ now _ after all. Now, Kimberly  _ could _ simply replace the old worn out yellow pair of shoes with the exact same thing...but that didn’t seem  _ personal.  _ This was a gift for her... _ girl.  _ Label or not, Trini proved time and time again that she cared  _ so _ much for Kim, that she wasn’t going to give up on her. Kimberly could  _ feel _ herself crawling out of the hole she dug herself into. She wasn’t going through the motions anymore, Trini gave Kimberly her days back...no. She had to do better than a yellow pair of shoes. 

Kimberly loved the colors of the brand, they reminded her of a simpler time. When she and her friends would go out and play baseball on an old dirt field. Billy called them the  _ Rangers _ and designed a little logo for them...for whatever reason he picked a lightning bolt with  _ all _ their favorite colors involved. He dreamed of a day where they could have their own jerseys, their own hats, like the professionals do. That kid sure knew how to dream. She picked up a pair of yellow converse and more memories flooded back. 

There was a time where Zack wanted to give everyone a nickname. Kimberly could still  _ hear _ his little voice calling out to  _ ‘Crazy Girl’  _ or  _ ‘McNugget’. _ Where did that girl go? She used to be so carefree. Kimberly got lost in popular politics, she let her head get too big, she put a wall up to protect herself from ever getting hurt again. 

Kimberly could never forget the day Trini left the sandlot, the day their family would never be the same. She had bracelets made, all different colors with an indent of Billy’s lightning bolt. Trini kept her pink bracelet for years, she wore it on the first day of school six years later. Kimberly’s bracelet was kept in a box underneath her bed...Trini wasn’t the only one that clung to the days of the past. To the perfect summer. For Christmas, Kimberly could recreate some of that old sandlot magic. 

The aspiring pitcher bought two pairs of shoes. A pink pair for Trini and a yellow pair for herself. Kimberly would be going away to New England to visit her extended family, she wouldn’t be physically around to see her…

_ “I want the pink one” _

_ “What? But the pink ones mine” _

_ “That’s why I want it. So whenever I look at it, I’ll think of you” _

After a speedy purchase using daddy’s credit card, Kimberly made her way to the volunteer gift wrapping station in the middle of the mall. It would save her a step from trying to do it herself. “Hi, I just need this one” She told the worker, she recognized the Asian girl dressed up like an elf for the holiday as senior yearbook editor Emma Goodall. She took a  _ lot _ of photos of the cheer squad on Friday night football games. Just as Emma started to cut the first piece of wrapping paper, Kimberly paused, “Wait hold on, are those pink or yellow?”

Emma opened the shoe box that Kimberly had set down, “Yellow”

“Sorry, sorry that’s not right” She took out a second identical box, switching the two pairs of converse. “I need the pink ones wrapped” This had to go  _ perfectly.  _

“No harm no foul, right? Sure, I’ll get these wrapped up for you” Emma smiled, her energy exuded the Christmas spirit. “Are they for someone special?”

“Oh” Kimberly paused, the corners of her lips upturned into a smile as she thought of Trini, god, she hoped she would love these, “Yeah they are” She adjusted the way she stood, folding her arms while she waited for Emma, “Probably the most important person in my life...ah...pink and yellow, that’s kind of our thing”

Emma laughed, as if she were in on some sort of inside joke, “Best friend?”

Kimberly could only nod, “Yeah….something like that” Best friend. No. Amanda was her  _ best friend.  _ Trini was something  _ more... _ Trini….there were so many things she wanted to say to the other girl. She wished the other girl had a more appropriate title. Make-out buddy was too casual, partner was too  _ formal.  _ Girlfriend meant that they were dating...and they certainly weren’t  _ dating. _ She hated feeling like she was in limbo, “Her mom’s been nagging her to get a new pair of shoes, and she’s too stubborn to actually do it”

“My best friend’s super stubborn too” Emma laughed, taping off the corners, she wanted this to be perfect for whoever it was getting it, “So I totally get it” She finished off with the wrapping, a perfect balance of red and green. “I hope you have an amazing holiday” Emma’s voice softened, sending Kimberly a knowing look, “I’m sure she’ll love it”

“Thank you...I really hope so” Kimberly paused, about to step away, but she couldn’t just leave without saying a, “Merry Christmas”   
  


*****

_ Trini, _

_ I’m sorry I couldn't spend the holiday with you, or be there when you open this. I just wanted to let you know how much you've changed my life. I can finally say I’m happy and mean it, and you're a big part of that. I don't want to think about where I'd be if you weren't around. Probably miserable. _

_ You, Trini Gomez, are beautiful. I’m lucky that you chose me. As far as the topic of us goes, I’m sorry for being selfish. I know you've been going through so much, and whatever our next step is...we won't take it until you're ready. I'll be counting down the days until I can see you again. We can make up for the lost time. _

_ Love, _

_ Kimberly _

……….The former cheerleader read over the card and sighed, she couldn’t scratch anything out, so she started one fresh.

_ Yours Always, _

_ Kimberly _

She wasn’t going to tell Trini that she  _ loved _ her via a card.

  
*****

The night before Kimberly would have to get on a plane, she made her way over to the trailer park to visit Zack. She didn’t want to ship Trini’s gift, if she wanted to pull this off she would have to get someone local to drop it off at her front door for her. Not wanting to disturb his mother, Zack waited for Kimberly outside of his mobile home, greeting her with a hug when she walked closer. He didn’t have many people in his life, so to those he cherished he kept close. “Merry Christmas” He wouldn’t be able to say it in person on the day, he’d be lucky to be seeing her at Tommy’s new years party. 

“Merry Christmas” Kimberly murmured, handing him the nicely wrapped gift, “I owe you  _ so _ much for doing this” He would be out on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, doing her this favor. “Trini’s had such a hard year and…”

“You don’t have to explain to me” Zack had a knowing look in his eye, a soft smile, there was something more there that Kim wasn’t even aware of, “I’d be happy to do it” His grin grew wider, now a bit more cheery and mischievous, “Call me an elf” A pause, “Wait, no, elves are the sidekicks. I wanna be santa” Please, if Zack were Santa he’d be shirtless, with an open silk red robe with a white fluff fringe and matching shorts. Amanda’d be a happy camper if that were the case. 

“Well,  _ Santa _ I definitely appreciate your help” It felt rude to just turn around and go back into her car. Not when the holidays were so near, “...So” She glanced down, trying to think of anything to say. “Things are getting pretty serious with Amanda?”

“Ha, yeah” He set Trini’s gift down so he could return to sitting, patting the spot next for him so Kimberly could join. “...I think it’s time that she meets my mom...” Zack wasn’t one to shy away from showing his feelings, “She’s the first girl I’ve really...fallen for y’know? She gets me…” Kimberly didn’t realize how much went into Zack and Amanda’s relationship, she was too busy tied up in Trini’s arms to notice these two. She only assumed that their connection was only physical, Zack was always a dangerous risk taker and Amanda...well, she certainly wasn’t a virgin. For these two to actually find love in one another was a surprise to Kimberly, maybe in a way they were meant for each other. “My mom should get to know her”

“I’m happy for you” Kimberly could trust Zack with Amanda’s heart, that girl wouldn’t go  _ that _ out of the way to try and find the perfect present for just a guy to sleep with. “I haven’t seen her this happy since…” When  _ was _ the last time Amanda was happy? Rebecca would  _ always _ hound her on being a little bigger than the other cheerleaders, she was taller...she weighed a bit more...she was always third or fourth choice when it came to boys. “Eighth grade” When social politics didn’t  _ matter _ as much, and boys weren’t interested  _ that _ interested in girls. “Did you get her anything for Christmas?”

“It’s stupid” Zack shrugged his shoulders, “Just a picture frame and a photo from our first  _ actual _ date inside” He wanted to get something sentimental, “She’s definitely a lot different from my ex” He rested back on his hands, “Z was perfectly fine with getting a soccer ball and that was it” Zack glanced over to Kimberly, “We were younger then”

Kimberly patted Zack’s knee, “I’m glad you had the sense to  _ not  _ get Amanda a ball” The only sport Amanda was interested in would be football. “I’m sure she’s going to love it”

“I hope so…” He trailed off, “You’re really going to make Trini’s Christmas this year” 

Kimberly hoped so. With Trini’s conservative, country-Texan, mother’s side of the family staying at their house for the next couple of days...she knew her not-girlfriend would be having a hard time keeping her head afloat. It wasn’t easy to keep strong and put up a front for the family, Trini simply mastered how to keep herself distant. Kimberly wished she could make it easier, wished she could  _ be _ there for her proper...but as a sixteen year old, she didn’t have much say in how she would be spending her holiday. This year Kimberly would be across the country with a three hour time difference separating them.

It would only be for a couple of days. 

*****

The Harts were able to take off their saved vacation time so they could see both sides of the family for holiday break. Madison trusted that her team back at home could take care of her department, but was on call if they needed her advice on emergent situations. If anyone in the Hart family could use a break, it was Maddie Hart. Seeing her side of the family exhausted her, she had grown so accustomed to the quiet southern California life. Even though they were technically on ‘break’ on ‘vacation’ it didn’t mean  _ relaxing _ or  _ rest. _ There were so many things to do! So many people to see, so much  _ food _ to prepare for the big holiday feast. 

On Kimberly’s mother’s side most of her aunts and uncles were  _ also _ in the medical field. It was why Kimberly felt a strong connection in wanting to go into orthopedics...she didn’t want to be seen as the  _ loser _ of the family. No, that was technically her father, “Uncle Ted”. Her grandparents always made jabs at his profession as a dentist, and that their precious intelligent daughter could have done much better. They were sure that they could have found a more  _ suiting _ husband for their daughter. Ted tried his best, but he wasn’t a surgeon, he didn’t lead a department or was apart of any fancy board of trustees. He would never have a building named after him, or even a bench or small tree...the most rebellious thing Madison did was to defy her parents wishes and marry the man she met and fell in love with at medical school. Maybe she and Kimberly had more in common than the young high schooler even realized... 

Whenever she was asked how cheerleading was going, she would have to come up with a gentle soft way to explain that she ‘wasn’t feeling it’ anymore. That sounded much better than the  _ truth _ of situation. A suspension, a years supply of Saturday schools and a the center of a nude photo scandal wasn’t the most appropriate talk of the holidays. To this side of the family, they’d rather see Kimberly be into more educational extracurriculars...why cheer when she could be in Science Olympiad? Kimberly taking general biology was practically an insult to the medically heavy branch of the family. Her  _ one  _ class she could share with Trini...now that was a name she didn’t speak of around the house.

Still, when it came to family reunions, adults tended to stick to adults while the kids had fun. Kimberly was one of sixteen grandchildren, she was smack dab in the middle of the eight kids that were ages 14-22, aka the  _ fun _ cousins. Ted and some of her uncles pitched in and took the group out to the mountains where they could get some skiing in. One of the perks of visiting the family up in Vermont was the yearly arctic adventure. Kimberly loved the winter fashion here, and maybe one year she’d muster up the courage to try a snowboard over skiing. Man, they were a killer on her thighs.

She couldn’t help but think of the day when she would bring Trini out here to meet her extended family. Kimberly smiled into a mug of hot chocolate as she watched some of her cousins go down the slope. Trini would absolutely  _ hate _ the cold, she would  _ hate _ the snow. The image of Trini needing to be bundled up  _ so _ much with a puffy coat, snow pants, gloves, a scarf, made Kimberly chuckle on the inside. The only winter gear Trini could wear without complaining is a hat...she wore those all the time anyway. No, she would absolutely fall over and be so bundled up that she couldn’t get back to her feet without help. 

It had only been a couple of days, but Kimberly started to miss Trini like crazy. She wanted to check in, to see how the other girl was doing with her family situation...but up here in the mountains it was so hard to get a signal. Her day felt empty without  _ some _ contact with the other girl. As much as she loved her family, she couldn’t wait to get back home to Angel Grove and hold Trini in her arms once more.

Christmas Eve, Maddie’s side of the family had a glorious feast. Kimberly sat at the grandkids table, which was more than fine, she had  _ way _ more fun talking and playing with her cousins over listening to adults speak of politics and mortgages. The only mortgage or loan she wanted to hear about was if her family decided to buy a vacation home. Kim didn’t  _ have _ siblings growing up, so her cousins were the closest thing she could have to a brother or a sister. So, as the cool older cousin she  _ may _ have been a bad influence. She gave tips to her freshman cousins on how to apply the right make up or what kind of clothes to buy. If their parents didn’t like their outfits...well that was what sneaking a second change of clothes and changing in the bathroom was for.

“Kim, I saw you on youtube!” Her fifteen year old cousin, Ravi, had his phone out on the ready. Great, she forgot about the Angel Grove student who put up the fight between Kimberly and Rebecca in the hallway. A reminder that her actions would never be forgotten. This kid was  _ really _ going to bring this up at the Christmas table? “Watch” The youngest cousins gathered behind the boy, their eyes widened and heads pulled back when the sound of the slap clapped through his speaker. “This is great!”

“Yeah, well, she deserved it” Kimberly mumbled, much to the surprise of the other cousins around the table. She was always seen as pretty miss popular cool, but now, she would be Kimberly Hart, the badass cousin. Ravi’s mother yelled at him from the adult table to put his phone away while eating dinner. Kimberly swore this side of the family had magic powers, they knew exactly when someone was up to no good. 

“What’d she do that was so bad?” Her youngest cousin Saira spoke, gosh she was the cutest thing with such big brown eyes, the family treated her like a princess. As a six year old she was so innocent to the world around her, if only kids stayed that way forever. 

“She was a big ol’meanie face” Was the child proof version of the word  _ bitch,  _ “She pulled a prank that  _ wasn’t _ very funny...it hurt someone I was close to”

Ravi laughed, “Oh, I’ve been telling my friends it’s because she slept with your boyfriend” She supposed if she  _ counted _ Ty, that bit was probably true. Either way, Kimberly wasn’t sure how he instantly went to the cheerleader stereotype. Kimberly felt no qualms at all when she flicked a piece of her dinner roll in the younger boy’s direction.

“Kimberly Ann! You’re supposed to be setting a good example” Did her mom have eyes in the back of her head or something? 

Once dinner had ended, the whole family could take a breather. The Harts had to pack up the rental car and make their way over to Massachusetts so they could be with Ted’s family by the time Christmas Day hit. While it was only a three and a half hour drive, it felt like much longer as Madison took over the whole conversation by nitpicking everything that was said to her or her husband. While Kimberly’s grandparents sounded like they were joking, to Madison they sounded like jabs. She was so sick of hearing about how she was raising her daughter, that she should move her family back to New England so Kimberly could be in the best programs, a  _ private school _ . As if she  _ wasn’t _ the head of the heart department at a top named hospital? Angel Grove high had an astounding graduation rate, Madison and Ted both agreed that they didn’t want Kimberly around an elitist private school setting. Ted would nod his head along and make comments every now and again like, ‘Uh huh’, ‘I’m sorry honey’, ‘sure’, ‘You’ll show them when you win an award’. It was the  _ perfect _ time for Kimberly to lay down in the back seat and fall asleep...next morning would be Christmas Day.

*****

_ Zack Taylor 8:45 _ _   
_ _ It’s done _

Kimberly waited anxiously in the guest room for the clock to strike 9am. She wanted to give Zack enough time to be well out of sight, to give Trini the absolute mystery to how she pulled this sort of thing off.

“Hello?” She didn’t realize how long this week had been, how much she missed Trini’s voice, “Kim, are you okay? It’s six in the morning” 

“Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot about the time difference” Idiot. Kimberly was so anxious for Trini to get her gift that she totally didn’t think of the three hour time jump. “I just wanted to tell you to check the front door”

“....Why?” A pause after some shuffling, Trini spoke low, as if not to wake anyone around her “Okay hold on”

Kimberly smiled, feeling the anticipation as she waited for Trini to open the door, “How the hell…?” Trini was  _ totally  _ stunned, surprised. Kids could say a lot of things about Kimberly Hart, most of them weren’t very nice, but the ex-cheerleader was a damn good gift giver.

“I asked Zack to drop it off for me last night” Kimberly explained, truly Zack Taylor won the award for the wingman of the year. “Just, do me a favor and open the card later” Kimberly didn’t want to hear Trini read or comment it over the phone.

“I can't believe you got me something” Kim could hear the tearing of wrapping paper over the phone, “You got me new shoes?”

Kimberly got herself out of bed so she could put on the yellow pair of shoes and take a cute photo of them to text over, “Your mother's been pestering you for months, thought I'd do her a favor”

“Kim….they're  _ pink”  _

“Check your messages”

There was a long pause before Trini spoke again, “... oh ...Kim...”

“It's so you could think of me when you're far away” Kimberly explained once she knew that the other girl on the line was listening again. “I miss you” She truly did, her days felt so off without Trini near.

“I miss you too, Hart” Ah right, leave it to Trini to try to act tough over the phone. Using a last name instead of trying to let her emotions poke through. If Kimberly missed her so...surely Trini must have as well, “How's the family?”

“Oh my thighs are killing me from the slopes. It's been awhile since I've skied” Kimberly had been out east for the entire week, “I spent Christmas Eve with my mom's family...the next couple of days we’re going to spend it with my dad's side. I'm really excited to see them” She paused, her father had just stepped into the room. Kimberly put a hand over the, phone to motion to Ted that she was on the phone. “How are you doing?”

“You know it hasn't been too bad” Oh good, Kimberly was worried that Trini would be having the  _ worst _ Christmas, “Today’s the big day”

“Mm, good I'm glad” Ted tapped onto his watch, it was Christmas morning! Everyone downstairs was waiting on Princess Kim to get up so they could start opening presents, “Hey, I have to get going and help out. Call me if you need anything” She paused for a moment, catching herself before she uttered the L-word, “Merry Christmas Trini”

“Merry Christmas Kim”

Kimberly couldn’t tell Trini she loved her over the phone…

The Harts were  _ very _ into the Christmas spirit. Ted’s mother, Kimberly’s grandmother was particularly into the holiday. She decorated her house like a winter wonderland, pictures of the grandkids filled her walls, Christmas cards hung on strings about the rooms. The tree was covered in handmade ornaments, silver garland, a toy train circling around the bottom, and a shining star a top. A CD was on constant repeat to give the house constant ambiance. It was hard to be  _ unhappy _ here in Boston...yet she’d rather be home...she’d rather be in Angel Grove...this could have been her first Christmas with Trini and instead of being  _ there _ she was  _ here.  _

Christmas morning was meant for presents, a process that would take at least two hours to get through everything. Whether it be above the fireplace or the staircase, each grandkid, aunt and uncle had a stocking  _ somewhere _ in the house. The adults watched as the kids would open up their noise making toys, toys that were sticky, and toys that they could get on and ride. No video games here...those were meant for the pre-teens so they could go into their own little spaces and try to ignore the rest of the world. From her grandparents Kimberly received a nice check that would be going straight to her savings account, a dorky Christmas sweater that would never be worn outside of this house where no one knew her, and a brand new hair straightener. Maybe one day Kimberly would grow out her hair again…

One day she would bring Trini here as well, she could fully experience what it would be like to bake cookies, and build gingerbread houses. With the Hart’s in Boston there would be snowball fights and ice skating. Ted and his brothers, and brother in-law would sit around the kitchen table and talk their favorite sports, Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, the New England area had some  _ solid _ teams that tended to dominate in the east. Trini could give these boys a run for their money, or at least give the Hart’s shit for being Patriots fans. During big dinners, Madison’s sister in laws would try to impress her by telling her of the times they went out for  _ Indian _ cuisine and tried this that and the other thing. Madison could only send her daughter a look,  _ the _ look, that only Kimberly would understand. Oh, to be the only person of color at an all white Christmas. 

On New Years Eve day, Kimberly had been constantly checking the time of her parents flight. Ted and Madison wanted to spend as much time possible out, and to try and avoid as much crazy airport drama as they could...it meant a late departure. Kimberly worried that they would be cutting it too close, that when they landed back in San Diego that they would be too tired to drop her off at Tommy’s party...or even worse, that they would get there well after the party ended. She had missed out on Christmas with Trini, she couldn’t miss  _ another _ holiday…

“Have somewhere you need to be?” Kimberly’s grandfather snapped Kimberly away from her phone, “You’ve been looking at that damn phone all week” He shook his head, “I remember there was a time you would be playing with your little cousins... _ basketball”  _ The old man laughed, “You fouled the hell out of your cousin Benji”

“Oh, that wasn’t  _ basketball”  _ Kimberly smiled at the distant memory, “That game was called  _ I win”  _ and if it took blatant fouls to do so...those were different times, before Kimberly was too good for childish games. Cheerleading and texting Tommy became far more important. Grandpa Hart laughed, appreciating the flash of the Kimberly he remembered. “I’m sorry, there’s just...a lot on my mind”

“Share a thought with an old man?” He tilted his head to the side, stepping closer to the mantle where Kimberly stood. Ah, old Hart family photos. Ted went through a very awkward pre-teen phase. 

“Mmm” Kimberly couldn’t share with him, not about Trini...the  _ girl _ who couldn’t commit to an actual title. The one she wasn’t going to try to push out of a closet before they were ready. “Your wedding photo is beautiful” She changed the subject immediately by admiring the top photo on the mantle. A photo of her grandfather in his old fashioned air force military uniform, her grandmother dressed in a simple wedding gown and veil. 

“Ha, your grandmother is always beautiful” He commented, reaching up to pull the black and white photo down from it’s spot on the mantle. Memories came rushing back, “Did you know we got married in Oklahoma?”

Kimberly shook her head, “What? No, I always assumed that you got married here...in Boston” Their whole lives were set up here, “There’s definitely a story there”

Grandpa Hart took a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe the dust off the glass, “I was at the military base, about to be deployed on the new year. Your grandmother...ballsy woman, she got on a train, took her mother, and  _ my  _ mother who she had never met and sat for... _ days _ trying to get to me before I’d set off” He set the now clean frame up at the top of the shelf, “We got married at the courthouse and made it official” Grandpa Hart sighed, what a fond memory, “You’ve got your grandmother’s fire” 

“...There’s someone in Angel Grove I need to get back to…” Why lie now? This was what she had been antsy about, “Someone that I…” He rested a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze to give her the strength to tell her what  _ needed _ to be said, “Someone that I’m in love with”

He squinted his eyes, “It’s not that Oliver boy is it?”

Kimberly shook her head no, “No…” Trini. The girl that picked her up off the ground during her darkest moments, someone that had  _ never _ given up on her...even when she probably would be better off without her. “I need to be with her” Kimberly murmured, not even  _ realizing _ she had dropped a specific pronoun. She was so wrapped up in how distant she had felt that she could have sworn she said  _ them,  _ sworn she kept it vague and general. 

To his credit, Grandpa Hart didn’t flinch, he simply pulled his phone out of his pocket, “You got a way for someone to get you at the airport?”

“What?”

The older man simply smiled, knowing what it was like to be separated from the one he cared most about. “It may be after Christmas, but let’s see if we can make some holiday magic happen shall we?” Never mess with a Hart on a mission, he had the flyer miles to cover Kimberly’s expenses, that man would do anything for his own...and if his granddaughter needed to fly back home early he was damn well going to make it happen. 

There was hope that Kimberly would make it back to Angel Grove before the ball dropped. 

*****

There was only one person Kimberly trusted to pick her up at the airport, she wanted to keep her arrival to the party a surprise...especially if she wouldn’t be able to pull this off and make it in time. When the plane landed she was sure to take extra time and change, do her makeup in an airport bathroom. It wasn’t the most  _ ideal _ situation, but she didn’t want her ride to make extra stops...he was already doing her such a favor as it was. 

The moment she saw the burly fisherman standing in the baggage claim she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, “Thank you so much Mr. Clark for coming to get me”

“Anytime” Mr. Joe Clark had practically become a second dad to Kimberly over the years, sure he wasn’t always around due to his job, but he invested so much into his daughter and her friends. He wanted the girls to know that if they were  _ ever _ in a bind that he would do anything for them, just to get them home safely. Back in his glory days he was a Briarwood football player, dating a Briarwood cheerleader...he knew how the popular lifestyle could be, how horny boys could be...hell he was the jock type, his handsiness resulted in Amanda after all. “Merry Christmas kiddo”

“Merry Christmas” It was nice to see a familiar face, one that  _ wasn’t _ family for once this week. Joe didn’t waste any time to grab Kimberly’s bag so the young girl wouldn’t have to be bothered with it.

Once they got in the car, Kimberly couldn’t help but smile at the dorky ass keychain Amanda had made for him for father’s day when she had to have been six years old.  _ Number 1 Dad _ it read in messy fingerpaints. “Did you have a nice Christmas?” She asked, it seemed like a perfectly normal question to ask.

Joe let out a breath, “Ah, when you get to be my age...Christmas doesn’t have the same sort of appeal” That seemed off, the happy go-lucky fisherman took too long to answer that, as if he was covering up how he  _ really  _ felt. The Clarks didn’t have a great Christmas...Kimberly didn’t want to push, she didn’t want to pry. Here she was taking a nice trip to New England while her best friend’s family had practically been living paycheck to paycheck. “S’pretty quiet” He popped some gum into his mouth, offering a piece to Kimberly, “Mandy went to her boyfriends place, so it was just...me and the missus” 

“Oh, well that sounds nice…” Kimberly trailed off, maybe he was just down because Amanda wasn’t there spending the whole Christmas day at home.

“He someone I have to worry about?” He asked, as any concerned father would for his teenage daughter. 

“No sir” Kimberly knew through Amanda that her mother had nothing but nasty things to say about Zack Taylor, so any good word she could put in on his behalf… “He’s one of the greatest guys I know, he really, really cares about her”

“Mm” Joe turned to get on the freeway, “She’s been having a hard semester…” Megan moved away, Rebecca stabbed her in the back, Kimberly was off the cheerleading squad...Amanda’s entire life flipped upside down and the kicker was she didn’t do anything wrong. Kimberly did. Kimberly ruined  _ so _ many lives around her...single handedly tore apart a friend group and left Amanda picking up the pieces. That wasn’t fair to her. “I don’t need a punk ass kid stringing her along”

Kimberly would continue to reassure him about Amanda’s latest choice in dating. Zack was  _ definitely _ more than a pretty face a hot body. She and Joe soon fell into small talk, how Kimberly’s trip to New England was...how Kimberly’s parents were doing. Joe, like any other football fan when hearing that Ted Hart was a Patriots fan  _ had _ to make a derogatory comment on it. Outside of New England, Patriots fans were few and far between. Joe had been off to sea more now than ever, he wanted to pick up as many extra jobs as possible...neither had to say it, he put more of a workload on himself because there weren’t many chances of Amanda to get a scholarship. She was simply an average student, nothing special outside of cheerleading. The less she had to take out in a student loan in the future the better. Joe wanted to give everything he could for his daughter to do better than he and his wife did.

Eventually, Mr. Clark stopped his car out by Thomas Oliver’s house. His posture stiffened, he wasn’t great at hiding his discomfort being around the mayor's house. “Say hi to Mandy for me” 

“You don’t want to come inside?” Kimberly asked, feeling odd that Mr. Clark wanted nothing to do with his wife’s boss.

“This is Lisa’s thing, I don’t wanna embarrass her” He chuckled, “I’ll probably just head down to the Saloon tonight...there’s some chicken wings with my name on them. You have fun kiddo” Joe paused, “I’ll drop your stuff off on the way…..Have a happy new year Kim”

“Have a happy new year Mr. Clark” Kimberly truly wished the best for the Clark family. She checked herself in the mirror before checking her watch, ooh they were cutting it close, but Kim still made it on time.

Kimberly entered the familiar house. She knew this place like the back of her hand, when she was dating Tommy he would always bring her back to his place so they could watch movies, make out on the couch...regular girlfriend boyfriend things. Kimberly knew that in order to avoid the adults upstairs they would be taking advantage of his  _ giant _ tv and god knows how many game systems he had set up in the basement. On her way down she was stopped by Mr. Zordon, the man who lived behind the Sandlot. He had saved a box that the team had buried in the field...a time capsule...Kimberly honestly thought it would have been destroyed, lost forever when the Dragon’s Nest built over their home. Hmm it only seemed fitting for a big entrance.

“Oh the real party has arrived” Kimberly stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding a dirty shoebox under her arm, greeting everyone with a smile. She did it, she had made it here with time to spare.

Trini was first to get up from her chair, greeting her  _ ‘friend’ _ with a bear hug, refusing to let go right away. Was everything okay? Kimberly didn’t want to bring attention to the intensity of Trini’s hug so she had to lightly joke, “Wow I should go out of town more often” Kimberly wrapped one of her arms around her, as her other arm was currently occupied. How she missed this.

“Don’t you dare” Trini let go, as now the others were staring...all except for Zack, with his annoying knowing grin. “What’s in the box?”

“Right” Kimberly moved the box to the nearest table, plushing a bowl of chips out of the way so she could have a flat surface to set it down. “Mr. Zordon was one of the guests upstairs, he brought this for Tommy who gave it to me”

Jason instantly recognized the box from their childhood, “We buried this in the outfield before Trini moved away” He stepped over, wanting to see if the contents they placed inside were still in tact. “Our time capsule”

“He took it out of the ground before construction could have a chance to ruin it” Kimberly explained as Jason lifted the lid. “He thought we should have this”

Billy excitedly pulled playing cards he made of the group, “I remember making these” He turned each card over, every player’s stats were still in tact. With the help of kinkos he laminated playing cards he had made of each one of the ranger gang as his contribution to the capsule.

Jason’s contribution was less symbolic, he put in his bright red retainer, something he didn’t want to wear at night so instead he put it in the box. Tommy placed a green recorder into the box, claiming that it had the power to summon a dragon. When he was ten, Tommy was all about dragons. Kimberly frowned in confusion when she pulled out an envelope with Trini’s name on it, “I guess this is yours?”

“Oh nope!” Zack quickly plucked it from Kimberly’s hand before Trini could blink, “That was what I put in there” The entire group looked to the boy curiously, now he really had to explain. “Not everyone had a crush on Kim, okay?” Amanda’s brows rose  _ very _ curiously at that.

Trini’s eyes widened at the confession, of course his first crush would be on someone who could never return his feelings, “You wrote me a love letter?”

Zack pulled out Trini’s contribution to the box, “I’m not the one who put in the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack” The CD was still in perfect condition. Trini was horrified to see what her younger self was into. It didn’t help her ego that Amanda tried to make her feel better by saying she also had the CD. 

“Oh” Kimberly pulled out her contribution, “Cheerleader Barbie” She turned the doll so the others could see, “She looks like she’s seen better days”

With the excitement of the time capsule dying down everyone returned to their previous tasks. The boys tried to find a new video game to play, one Zack didn’t suck at, to try and make him feel better about constantly placing last. The girls eventually got bored watching and instead took turns shooting balls on Tommy’s billiards table. Midnight was quickly approaching, Billy turned the television from video games to the recording of NYC’s ball dropping. Because they were in a different time zone they couldn’t watch it live like in the East. Amanda had moved to sit in Zack’s lap once the clock started ticking down from thirty.

Trini took Kimberly’s hands in her own, pulling the other girl’s attention from the screen. “Be my girlfriend” Did Kim hear that right? Did  _ Trini Gomez _ want to be  _ Kimberly Hart’s _ girlfriend.  _ Girlfriend!?  _

“I thought you didn’t like labels” Kimberly’s brow rose curiously, she wanted Trini to come to this conclusion on her own, “Is this because of something I said?...Because...I don’t want to push you or make you feel like you have to-”

The shorter girl shook her head, she was not going to let Kim ramble over the clock, “I want to start this new year right. I want to be able to kiss you at midnight in front of our friends. I want to be with you Kimberly Hart and I don’t care what anyone else thinks” Trini spoke once more with feeling, “Be my girlfriend” Trini repeated, Jason and Billy counting down from ten loudly.

_ 10 _

_ 9 _

_ 8 _

_ 7 _

_ 6 _

_ 5 _

_ 4 _

Kimberly, for the dramatic effect, pretended to think about her options. Once she heard that the countdown had gotten to the number three she smiled, “I will gladly be your girlfriend, Trini Gomez”

Trini reached up to the back of Kimberly’s neck, pulling her down to her level so she could kiss her. 

Their first kiss as an official couple.

Watch out 2018, this would be the year of Trini and Kimberly.


End file.
